


if i could stay all day in the sun (where would i be?)

by seashel



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Angst, Anne and Gilbert, Ariel - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Prince Eric - Freeform, Shirbert, The little mermaid - Freeform, can't wait for my friends to find this fic and IMMEDIATELY drop me, i guess?, season three, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-26 15:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20744291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seashel/pseuds/seashel
Summary: "Even though you've lost your voice, you sure do say a lot."Anne tilted her head in confusion. She was used to others telling her such things, but she wasn't expecting to hear it from Gilbert- especially given the circumstances, and the fact that she was told she talked too much even when she couldn't speak at all."With your eyes, I mean," he quickly fixed himself, regret apparent in his voice. "They tell me so many stories, and I just can't help but wonder what they've seen."Gilbert leaned in slightly. If you were a few feet distant, you probably would not of noticed, But his face was now no less than a foot away from Anne's, and she couldn't help it. She wasn't sure what to do next, it was all happening so fast, and it didn't help the boy was practically breathing on her neck and if she could only be the one to kiss HIM and-Suddenly, the boat gave away from under them.-the little mermaid au no one asked for. i probably won't finish this but i'll mark it as a series just in case one (1) person likes it and my brain forces out another chapter bc i thrive on validation.enjoy, i guess?





	1. Chapter 1

_“What are you willing to offer?” Anne swam inside excitedly, looking around at all the jars lining the walls and the crystal globe standing center in the room. She could hardly believe this was a forbidden talk in the ocean. What was so bad about this? Ursula was promising freedom, a chance to explore a land that was undreamt of for a mermaid. “What’s a worthy exchange? You’re giving me everything I’ve always wanted!”_

_ -_

To be fair, Anne wasn’t aware she wasn’t supposed to make deals with a sea witch. Sure, anyone offering you happiness at a price such as your voice was automatically suspicious, but how could she help it? Anne hated the stupid tail attached to her almost as she hated the red mop on her head.

Suffice it to say, her naivety had gotten her in a sticky situation. Again.

The first thing she figured out from being washed up on rocks is that they hurt your legs. She saw tiny scratches all over the pale skin that replaced the scales and sighed. She supposed the saltwater would take care of any infections, but her wounds now hurt like hell and she was stranded on an island with no food, no clothes, and no voice. Luckily, she had managed to find an old towel that had probably washed up from a shipwreck and wrapped it around her shivering frame. She was starting to regret her decisions. It was getting late and so far, there was no sign of any life coming to whisk her away and save her- or at least, put her in front of a fire.

Maybe if she hadn’t seen that shipwreck, she would still be at home with her family. _Where were they now?_ She was sure they had to be worried sick. Anne could hear Marilla now. _“You have your head in the clouds- Anne Shirley. It’d be best if you focus on the world around you, down on the ocean floor.”_ It helped Anne to imagine a search party being thrown in her honor. All the merpeople joining together to find her and bring her home safe.

That stupid shipwreck. All the bright colors in the air had fascinated her to no end. She desired to know what they were for- and why there were so many of them. All the crew seemed to be celebrating, yelling and cheering as red, blue, and purple strings of light shot up in the air. Anne couldn’t believe her eyes as she propped up against the floorboards of the ship, careful not to let any of them see her. She stared in wonder as the men threw back glasses of dark liquid, footsteps staggering as their eyes became almost glass-like. However, her gaze kept focusing on one of the crewmates. His floppy brown hair stuck to his forehead from the sweat and ocean water, and the way he danced to the beat of the music reverberating through the ship was almost hypnotizing. He seemed to not have a care in the world. If only she stopped to think about the consequences of her actions.

Anne couldn’t remember all the details. She remembered lightning, and then men falling overboard. Somehow, the one she was fixated on before was still on board, and then he wasn’t- because he was blown away by the fire. It had taken some strength to drag him all the way to shore, but somehow, she managed.

When she laid his body down on the beach, Anne got a better look at the man. He still smelled of what she assumed to be from the grey clouds around the fire, even while soaked. His face looked like it was carved by one of those Gods Anne read from inscriptions she found while searching for human treasures. _Gilbert_. That was his name. One of the members of the crew shouted it amid the wreck. She whispered it, gently placing her head against his chest to check his breathing. Once she knew he was still alive, she was forced to jump back in the water when she heard voices calling his name. Before she swam away, she turned to see a giant structure not far offshore, big and sturdy to hold an entire kingdom. Anne couldn’t help but wonder if he lived in the castle.

The sea witch had been a great deal of help once Anne realized there wasn’t much convincing her to stay in the ocean. However, she only realized after how idiotic she had truly been. Her voice was gone. How was she supposed to make her way around this island when she couldn’t even introduce herself?

And now she was here. Cold with no direction. She blamed her giddy optimism. If she had just listened to Marilla, she would at least have a way of yelling to see if anyone was within ear range. Until she heard a voice calling to her. Anne quickly turned to face whoever was talking, but deep down she already had a feeling in her gut who it could be.

“Miss?” Not sure why, she closed her eyes, hoping he was talking to some other random girl on a rock with no clothes on. “Excuse me, miss, do you need any help?”

Braving a peak, she saw he was much closer now. Anne went to open her mouth before remembering Ursula’s conditions- but she wasn’t sure if she wouldn’t have been left speechless anyway.

He was beautiful- a different type of man than she was used to seeing. His forehead was creased with worry, and when he got a little bit closer to her, she saw he had brown eyes that reminded her of the liquid she had seen him drinking on the ship three nights ago.

“What’s your name?” Gilbert’s eyes went wide when he realized she was only wearing a towel, and immediately shrugged off the overcoat he was wearing. “Did- did you need.. are you cold? How long have you been here?”

While it was safe to assume no one occupied this part of the shore often, it was a shock that no one visited from the castle behind them. The water here was surprisingly peaceful when there was no shipwrecks or rugged waters. The smell of saltwater filled her nose, and suddenly, Anne remembered why exactly she wanted these legs. She hurriedly pointed at her throat, indicating she couldn’t talk. Gilbert tilted his head, mouth opening just a little before closing again.

“Here,” he mumbled, putting the jacket over her. “Allow me.”

Attempting to explain the situation with just her body language would be the trickiest part, until she could find another way to communicate. Even then, what was she supposed to say? _A sea witch encased my voice in a crystal ball so I could have human legs? _

“Do you have anyone we can get in contact with?”

Anne’s first response would have been Matthew, but seeing as that was out of the question, she resorted to shaking her head.

“We can try to sort something out soon. For now, let’s just get you inside so you can warm up a bit, how’s that sound?”

While she never saw herself as a damsel in distress, she couldn’t help but wonder how it must feel being a maiden in need of rescuing. Back in her home, she often imagined someone coming to transform her tail into legs. Now, it was all so real. Perhaps a bit of overselling might make the entire ordeal more fun. Anne had always liked to make the most out of every situation.

It didn’t take much time for Gilbert to notice she was shivering even harder now. His eyes widened, and he hesitantly lifted an arm up.

“May I?”

Anne was not quite sure what he was asking permission to do. She had been on land for no more than two hours and she wasn’t sure what the protocol was for this. Still, she nodded, and he reached around her shoulder, hand rubbing up and down her arm, attempting to warm her up.

“Once you’re up to it, I’ll have someone run you a bath, and then we’ll figure everything out. There’s no need to be frightened, miss. We’ll have everything taken care of.”

Anne stole a peak at Gilbert again. A warm feeling filled her stomach, and her head suddenly felt very light, almost as if it were completely empty. She couldn’t seem to focus on anything, even the panic that filled the voice next to her asking if she was okay. The last thing she could recall was the world spinning as her eyes closed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy my shame.

“If you could of seen her! She’s awfully skinny, with... red hair! Isn’t that odd?”

Anne awoke from her slumber to a soft surface underneath her. She patted around, confused as to where and what she was doing in this room that was far bigger than her own back home. It wasn’t until she remembered the events on the beach that she felt her heart jump. She fainted! She fainted like a fool and now she’s got a massive headache that wasn’t helped by the loud chatter from outside the walls of this room. 

All of a sudden, the door bursts open and in walks a woman carrying fabric and something else Anne couldn’t remember the name of. The woman takes one look at Anne in the bed and clicks her tongue. 

“Well, the other girls were right. You aren’t much to look at, are you?” She throws the items she’s carrying on the bed, and turns to walk out the door. Anne just stares at her, almost going to protest but then remembering her current predicament. The woman laughs. “I forgot you don’t talk, either. It’s a wonder what Gilbert sees in you. Get dressed quickly, then find yourself downstairs in the dining hall.”

With that, the door closes and Anne is left in shock. She wasn’t sure what she did wrong, just then. She can’t even tell where she is. It’s a sleeping room of some sort- that she knows. That begs the question of how she even got here after she passed out. She’s wearing a lighter set of fabric than what she’s accustomed to. It covers the entirety of her body and she asks herself, who put it on her?

Staring at the pink bundle in front of her, Anne jumps off the bed and immediately starts inspecting it. It’s definitely not the most flattering color on her, she thinks. She had never liked pink on herself, but she’s too excited to have something other than a towel to make a fuss about it.

She realizes it’s a dress and shoes- she’s heard talk from other merpeople about the humans dressing themselves up and attending marvelous celebrations where they danced for hours on end. Anne had never felt such desire to attend something before. However, this wasn’t a dance. She was alone and confused in a room that wasn’t her own, and she was already not liked. She just hoped she was allowed to stay, otherwise the curse Ursula had put her under would of all been for naught and Anne would have to go back to living as an old mermaid for the rest of her life.

Putting it on was a bit difficult. She wasn’t much accustomed to clothing like this. The sleeves covered her entire arms, and she was already tripping over the length of the gown. It would be a miracle if she could manage to not trip in front of the entire kingdom- she assumed she was in the castle she had seen earlier. Looking out through the glass, she saw the spot on the island where she had been sitting. The sun illuminated the ocean and Anne almost forgot that she lived deep within it, as if this is where she was truly supposed to be. 

Until she snapped out of it. The sun shining bright in the sky gave the implication that she had slept an entire day away- and that was the scariest part. So much time had been wasted! What if Gilbert had already forgotten about her? Who was to say that he was even in the castle?

Anne stared at her reflection as she slipped on the shoes she was given. She smiled to herself in the mirror. Despite everything, this is what she wanted. Legs. She couldn’t shout her excitement, but she spun around giddily, the baby pink flowing around her making her look like a princess- a real princess! She was always taunted back home for being too little of a proper lady. Too skinny, loud. And while the other woman earlier was quick to make the same comments, Anne was sure not everyone in this kingdom could be so unkind. After all, she had the world at her newly found feet. What could possibly go wrong?

-

Gilbert stared at the floor, wishing he could conjure up some food to appear so he could distract himself from his current situation.

He had been taught how to rescue himself from drowning. He’d been taught basic survival tips. He lives by an ocean, for God’s sake- he should know how to react when a girl washes up on shore completely silent and only wearing rags. But he doesn’t, and he’s hungry, and he couldn’t sleep at all last night because he was too worried about the current situation he’s in. 

She could be a distraction. A way to attack the castle. Gilbert doesn’t believe that this could be real. First the shipwreck, and now a pretty girl shows up out of nowhere and he’s just supposed to act like everything is normal?

A cough from the staircase made his eyes shoot up, and his breath hitched. 

There she stood. Gilbert isn’t sure where the servants dug up his mothers old dress, but the pretty girl is wearing it. He smiles slightly, stepping forward to lend a hand to help her down the last step. She takes it, and her hand feels soft and warm and so small in his.

“You gave me quite a scare, back on the shore. I’ve never had a girl faint into my arms before,” he attempts to crack a joke to ease the tension that was building in him. “Can’t say it was bad, but it certainly was a challenge explaining to the maids why I was carrying a sleeping girl in the castle.” The girl smiled back at him, and he felt a sense of disappointment when he remembers she can’t respond back to him. He had no clue how he’s going to get any important information to get her where she needs to be.

“I was waiting for you out here so I could show you where the dining room was,” Gilbert explained. “I know the castle gets a bit confusing, and it’s easy to get lost in. She let him lead her to the dining room, where his adviser sat at the table, waiting impatiently to meet the girl the entire kingdom was talking about. 

“Miss, this is my close friend, Sebastian. We’re both going to both help you with anything you need.”

Sebastian stood up, and extended his hand to the girl. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Gilbert observed Sebastian explaining to her the processes they’d be taking, and he zoned out once again, worry beginning to set in. While he was sure there was ways to go about dealing with this situation, he couldn’t help but wonder how it would end. He couldn’t let this girl stay in the castle forever. Surely, she had a family? 

“It’s not often Gilbert invites such a lovely dinner guest to the table,” Sebastian chuckled, picking up his fork to dig into the crab sitting on his plate. “You must be starving!”

The girls attention turned to the fork his adviser was using. Gilbert raised an eyebrow, curious as to what exactly she was thinking, until she picked up her own, and brushed it through her hair- Sebastian’s eyes widened. 

“I- I think that you’ve misunderstood-“

“No, it’s okay, Sebastian. We can fetch her another one,” Gilbert stutters, not sure how to react to the situation.

On one hand, this is probably the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. She’s using a fork as a hairbrush and Gilbert should definitely of started to regret his decision of bringing a girl like this into into the castle. But on the other, he’s never seen Sebastian so baffled, and he’s never seen hair that pretty before. 

So he lets the maid get her more utensils, and he spends the rest of dinner trying not to stare at her while Sebastian rambles on in the background. 


End file.
